Day 3- Paris, France

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Today was coldest day in Paris but surprisingly that only meant it was in the low 40s, which was much warmer than Georgia at the time.  However, I'm sure our pictures made it seem like it was freezing given how bundled we looked, but in France it was more of the culture to dress for the cold unlike Americans who just throw on a jacket or scarf to get in the car, especially us southern folks.  Nevertheless, we woke up early for the much anticipated trip to The Louvre.  On a normal day, people usually wait in line for an average time of 1-5 hours depending on the day and season, but Leslie, my mother-in-law, purchased a "Paris Pass" for each of us, which is much like a fast pass at any amusement park (an instant pass to the front of the line).  We went through a separate door just like we did at the impressionist museum by only waiting a minute or two to go through security. 

The Palace surrounding the Louvre

Going into the Louvre

I did not know what to expect, nor was I aware of the history surrounding this museum, but I was very much surprised by the large building that surrounded the iconic pyramid shaped entrance.  Little did I know the Louvre itself was that large building.  The Louvre was a former royal palace located right next to the Seine river.  It originated back to the medieval period and was the actual seat of power in France until Louis XIV moved the monarch to Versailles in 1682.  The Louvre is a Paris MUST, although I actually preferred Musee d'Orsay.

It would take a person 14 days to actually take in all of the exhibits inside the Louvre, but when we entered, we had specific exhibits that we wanted to see.  We walked directly towards the Roman and Greek mythology rooms, which I would highly recommend.  Being able to stand next to statues that were chiseled thousands of years ago with such precise detail was an amazing thing to see up close.  Richard's highlight, along with the other thousand spectators that day, was the famous Venus de Milo, which was created in approximately 323-331 BC.  We also saw other famous statues of Hercules, Athena, and Hermes to name a few. 

 

The next section we went to was the top floor where the one and only Mona Lisa was on display.  It was given an entire wall, which was protected by a glass barrier from the ground to the ceiling, given security like no other painting in the entire museum.  The most surprising part of seeing Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece was trying to get close enough to take a picture through the massive crowds of people.

A little blurry from the glass protecting the painting 

                                         

The painting across from the Mona Lisa- "Napoleon Coronation"

After seeing the Mona Lisa, we went to the ancient Egyptian room where we saw detailed sarcophaguses, Egyptian tools and art, and an authentic mummy, very exciting to see in person.

A REAL mummy!

We spent around 3 hours touring the museum, and then became hungry once again.  This time instead of a dining in a cafe for lunch, we decided to visit our favorite street vendor where we enjoyed toasted baguettes with fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil, and Richard had his Crepe Poulet Frommage (Spicy Chicken and Cheese).  Yum!  As soon as our bellies were full, we used our Paris Pass to take the free double decker bus tour.  It was nice change of pace as we were able to rest our feet from all of the walking we had done that day.  The bus tour was guided, warm, and offered a great opporunity to see and hear about all of the history along each street of Paris, such as the Opera house, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, and lastly the Eiffel Tower.

As our tour came to an end, we went back to the hotel to change for dinner. Like always, we would walk to a cute cafe, have a glass of wine, and be graciously served freshly sliced baguettes with every meal (one of the major things that I miss).

Precious little bike used as decoration!

After dinner we walked through the streets, and I was drawn to a beautiful assortment of colorful macaroons. Of course, when in Paris buy anything and everything that consists of food because nothing will ever taste as fresh and these macaroons were no exception.  This was one fabulous day.

The most delicious one was the raspberry flavor, yum!

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